Wave-motor



A, WHITTLE.

Patented July 26, 1921 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. WHITTLE.

WAVE MOVTOR- APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, |9 2o.

Patented July 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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llzlrrfrllrlll/ I/I/lIi/l/lllIl/IZ UNITED STATES ALEXANDER WHITTLE, OF KEARNEY, NEW JERSEY.

WAVE-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 26', 1921.

Application filed November 12, 1920. Serial 110. 423,568.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER WHI'ITLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kearney, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have invefited certain new and useful Improvements in Wave- Motors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved wave motor which is adapted to pump water, the pump being located well underneath the surface so as to insure its inlet being always covered, and having an impact frame connected to the pump rod, which impact frame can be actuated either automatically or .manually, so that with no cessation of the mechanism the position of the impact frame along the pump rod can be ehanged or assured,fand thus a'shiftable but rigid connection is established which permits the impact frame to be regulated according to the height of the tide.

The invention further consists of a bumper which is also shiftable and which is adapted to lessen, when necessary, any shock at the return stroke of the pump. p The invention further consists of certain details of construction which will be hereinafter more fully described and finally embodied in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a section of a portion of water-front, showing the improved motor in elevation. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the impact fraine, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4; is a perspective view of a detail of part of the bumper shifting mechanism. Fig. 5 is a free view of the bumper shifting mechanism, and Fig. 6 is a face view of the impact frame looking toward the shore.

In the drawings I show but one unit, but it will be understood that these can be arranged in duplicate or in series, according to the requirements, but I will describe in this specification but one unitor motor. A pump 10 is installed on suitable supports 11 so that its inlet portion, preferably in the form of a sieve orstrainer 12, is located far enough out into the body of Water to insure its inlet ortion being covered even at low tide, and an outlet pipe 13 leads therefrom so that when water is pumped by the pump it will pass up through this pipe 13. The utilization of this water is not entered into in detail in this specification as it is no part of the invention, but it is usual to draw this water, by the pump, to a tower or tank and utilize it then for the driving of turbines.

A pump rod 1 1 actuates the pump and at .its upper portion is arranged to slide in the guide-way 15 supported on a stringer 16 longitudinally within the support, the support preferably consisting of horizontal beams 17 and uprights 18. The pump rod has an upper bar 19 which has teeth 20 so that it forms a rack.

The impact frame 21 is preferably made hollow, thus forming a chamber, its front face 22, which receives the impact of the waves, being made somewhat heavier than the other walls of the frame. It is supported so that it reciprocates easily, when desired, in the form shown the frame being supported on the wheels 23 running on tracks 2& on each side of the support 18. The impact frame is adapted to be locked on the pump rod, and, when occasion requires, to be shifted on the pump rod, and one form of accomplishing this is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

In the form shown the electric motor 25 is mounted on the bottom 26 of the impact frame, and its shaft 27 projects within the frame and is provided with a worm 28 which operates two worm gears 29, one on each side thereof, which are mounted on vertical shafts 30 which extend through the bottom bearings 31- of the impact frame and are provided with pinions 32 which mesh with the teeth 20 of the rack, these teeth being arranged on both sides of the bar 19 of the pump rod.

It will thus be seen that the motor, when at rest, through the worm and the worm gears forms a look, so that when the impact frame is driven by a wave it will pull the pump rod with it. When the tide rises, the impact frame, of course, is to be raised along the support 18, and the motor 25 is then energized through the wires 33 which pass from the impact chamber in the form of a cable 341, shown in Fig. 1, and are connected with a suitable source of power and the current can be switched on either by an automatic tie-gage or manually, so that when the motor is placed in operation through the system of gearing above described the 36, the bumpers preferably being made,

as usual, with a spring resistance therein, the plates 36 being opposed by the plates 37 of the impact frame. The bumpers are mounted on a bumper carriage 38 which, as will be seen from Fig. 4, travels on each side on a rail 39, which is provided on its top face with teeth 40 forming a rack. A crossshaft 41 is provided with ,pinions 42 on its ends, which pinions engage the racks 40 and, according to the direction of rotation,

cause the bumper carriage to travel up and down on the frame.

The cross-shaft 41 is provided with gears 43 driven 'bya gear 44 on which is slidably mounted the squared end 45 of the shaft 46 of the motor 25 in the impact frame, which shaft projects out through the front face of the impact frame. There is thus provided not only a sliding connection, but a positive rotative connection between the shaft of the motor and the shifting mechanism for the bumper carriage, so that when the impact frame is moved by the motor 25 an adequate and proportioned movement of the bumper carriage, and consequently its bumpers, is accomplished.

It will be understood that minor changes can be made in the assembling and also in the construction of the parts, without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A wave motor comprising a pump, a pump rod, an impact frame, and means for adjusting and securing the impact frame along the pump rod.

' wave motor comprising a pump, a

pump rod, an impact frame, means for adjusting the impact frame along the pump rod and looking it in adjusted position, said means including an electric motor operable from "the shore.

3. A wave motor comprising a pump, a pump rod, a rail-supporting frame, rails on said rail-supporting frame, an impact frame supported so as to reciprocate on the rails,

and means for shifting and locking the impact frame along the pump rod.

4. A wave motor comprising a pump, a pump rod, a frame support, an impact frame slidable in said support, the impact frame having a water-tight chamber therein, a motor in said chamber, adjusting and lock ing means on the frame for shifting and securing the frame along the pump rod, and a connection between the motor and said means for operating said means.

5. A wave motor comprising a pump, a pump rod, an impact frame, a'bumper, a support for the impact frame and the bumper, and means for simultaneously shifting the bumper and the impact frame relative to the pump rod.

6. A wave motor comprising a pump, a pump rod, an impact frame including a chamber, a motor in the chamber, an operative connection between the impact frame and the pump rod and actuated by the motor for moving the impact frame "relative to the pump rod, a bumper for the impact frame, a support for the impact frame and the bumper, and means for operating the bumper so as to move it along the support, said means permitting a movement of the impact frame relative to the bumper.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereto set my hand, this 10th day of November, 1920.

ALEXANDER WI-IITTLE. 

